a. Technical Field
This invention relates to door locks for laterally moving doors in general, and to door locks for laterally moving elevator doors in particular.
b. Background Art
Horizontal elevators, also known as shuttles, are a popular way of moving large volumes of people along a particular path in a short period of time. The path traveled typically consists of a number of stations having docks where passengers can enter and exit the shuttles. Because of the large volume of people passing through the shuttle stations and the chance for accidents, it is desirable to partition the edge of the station docks adjacent the shuttle path with walls and doors. The walls and doors separate the shuttles and the passengers and thereby prevent accidental contact.
It is known in the art to provide a door opening system that laterally opens the station doors when the shuttle has docked. Typically, the door opening system includes a position sensor and a drive mechanism for opening the station doors. When the shuttle has arrived at the proper position relative to the station doors, the position sensor sends a signal to a controller that it is safe to open the doors. The controller, in turn, instructs the drive mechanism to open the doors and allows access to the shuttle.
When the shuttle is not docked at the proper position, or is not at the station at all, the doors must be kept closed to avoid an unsafe situation. Hence, it is necessary to have a lock means to lock the doors until the shuttle docks in its proper position.